Thousands sign petition calling for Welsh GP ‘rescue package’

A BMA petition calling on the Welsh Government to commit to a rescue package for general practice has gathered more than 8,500 signatures.

The union warned that the profession is in crisis and that the Welsh Government is overspending money on health board-managed practices while eight in 10 GPs cannot provide safe care, as part of a recent campaign.

Now the BMA is urging people to sign a petition to amplify its call for a rescue package to save general practice from collapsing.  

According to the BMA’s survey of all 386 GP surgeries in Wales, the country is left with just 2,324 GPs, with only 1,445 working full-time and over a quarter (26.6%) are planning to leave the profession in the near future.

The petition said: ‘General practice in Wales is under significant and growing strain. GP numbers are declining, demand is rising, and practices are struggling to recruit and retain staff.

‘General practice is being forced to try and cope with inadequate resources, an unsustainable workload, and a workforce under pressure across the whole of Wales, with some areas in crisis.

‘Current inadequate capacity is a product of longstanding workload, workforce, and well-being issues, which correlate to the chronic underfunding of general medical services.

‘By taking one minute to sign this petition, you can amplify our calls for the Welsh Government to provide a rescue package for general practice.’

Petitions with more than 10,000 signatures will be considered for a debate in the Senedd.

The union also said that more than 80% of Welsh GPs fear they are unable to provide quality and safe care to patients due to their excessive workloads, diminishing workforce, and the rising demands on the service.

In October, GP contract negotiations between the BMAs GP Committee for Wales, the Welsh Government and NHS Wales ended without resolution.

Shortly after, the BMA was told that the pay offer made by the Welsh Government to GP practices could be withdrawn to ‘offset other deficits’. 

In an interview with Pulse a few weeks after the negotiations ended, BMA Wales’ GP Committee chair Dr Gareth Oelmann warned that this could be the first time a contract is imposed on Welsh GPs.

Practice managers in Wales have said the absence of a financial agreement on the GP contract has made giving staff pay rises ‘difficult’ – triggering fears employees will leave general practice for better paid jobs in other sectors, reported Pulse’s sister title Management in Practice.